blade angle

[Neil m]

How do you find out what angle you have on your knives. Is there some kind of a gauge. I have a Gatco system and sometimes it takes forever to sharpen, and I feel like I'm reprofiling. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[temp9]

Paint the edge with a Sharpie. Then when you stroke your stone across it, you can see where its taking off metal.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

There's not much need to worry about what the existing angle is. Even when a manufacturer 'says' their edges are at a certain, specified angle, more often than not, they aren't. With most factory made knives, you're better off reprofiling anyway.

Reprofiling is what the GATCO (or any guided rod system) does best. In fact, that's what it's basically designed to do. It's designed to put a new, precise bevel on the blade edge, in place of the old bevel. Once that's done, the day-to-day light maintenance of that edge is better done with something like a Sharpmaker or a few, light freehand passes on a fine/xtra-fine stone. Or, as I prefer, stropping on leather with compound, followed by stropping on bare leather alone.

As suggested already, darken your edge with a Sharpie marker. Then, go ahead and finish the reprofiling. Inspect the egde under magnification & bright light, to make sure the new bevel extends all the way to the edge on both sides, along the full length of the blade.